AB1386 THE ROLE OF OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE TRAITS IN FIBROMYALGIA: ARE OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS OF PAIN CORRELATED WITH PAIN INTENSITY AND ASSOCIATED WITH FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT?
Authors: M. Amital, D. Buskila, H. Amital, D. Amital
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2023)

<h3>Background</h3> Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is defined as a chronic pain syndrome that is characterized by widespread pain, tenderness, and diffuse stiffness. In addition, neuropsychological symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disorders, poor mood, cognitive impairment, and headaches are often reported. Many researches had demonstrated the coexistence of affective disorders and anxiety with FMS, yet few focused on its association with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). <h3>Objectives</h3> We investigated the occurrence of classical patterns of OCD in patients with FMS and assessed their effect on pain perception and functional impairment. <h3>Methods</h3> The research population included 37 patients diagnosed with FMS, and treated at the Rheumatology Clinic in the Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel. We used validated questionnaires including a demographic questionnaire, assessment of average and maximal pain intensity, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire – Revised (EPQ-R(, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, the Pain Obsessive questionnaire, and the Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). <h3>Results</h3> Patients with FMS were found to have intrusive and obsessive thoughts regarding pain for several hours every day, causing a high degree of anxiety and high levels of pain, catastrophizing, and magnification, leading to helplessness and functional impairment. Twenty-seven percent of the patients reported severe malfunction due to pain and pain ideation, and 49% demonstrated mild obsessive-compulsive symptoms that were strongly correlated with pain intensity and functional impairment. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Obsessive-compulsive thinking patterns contribute to pain magnification and to the cognitive aspects of Fibromyalgia syndrome. <h3>References</h3> [1]G. T. Jones, F. Atzeni, M. Beasley, E. Flüß, P. Sarzi-Puttini, and G. J. Macfarlane, "The Prevalence of Fibromyalgia in the General Population: A Comparison of the American College of Rheumatology 1990, 2010, and Modified 2010 Classification Criteria," <i>Arthritis Rheumatol.</i>, vol. 67, no. 2, pp. 568–575, Feb. 2015, doi: 10.1002/art.38905. [2]F. Wolfe, K. Ross, J. Anderson, I. J. Russell, and L. Hebert, "The prevalence and characteristics of Fibromyalgia in the general population," <i>Arthritis Rheum.</i>, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 19–28, Jan. 1995, doi: 10.1002/art.1780380104. [3]F. B. Pomares <i>et al.</i>, "Histological Underpinnings of Grey Matter Changes in Fibromyalgia Investigated Using Multimodal Brain Imaging," <i>J. Neurosci.</i>, vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 1090–1101, Feb. 2017, doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2619-16.2016. [4]Y. Yavne, D. Amital, A. Watad, S. Tiosano, and H. Amital, "A systematic review of precipitating physical and psychological traumatic events in the development of Fibromyalgia," <i>Semin. Arthritis Rheum.</i>, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 121–133, Aug. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2017.12.011. [5]W. Häuser <i>et al.</i>, "Posttraumatic stress disorder in Fibromyalgia syndrome: Prevalence, temporal relationship between posttraumatic stress and Fibromyalgia symptoms, and impact on clinical outcome," <i>Pain</i>, vol. 154, no. 8, pp. 1216–1223, 2013, doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2013.03.034. <h3>Acknowledgements:</h3> NIL. <h3>Disclosure of Interests</h3> None Declared.